Masters of color and light
Subtitle: Homer, Sargent, and the American watercolor movement
By: Linda S. Ferber and Barbara Dayer Gallati.
Contributors: Gallati, Barbara Dayer; Brooklyn Museum of Art
Publisher: Brooklyn Museum of Art in Association with Smithsonian Institution Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Washington
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
Subjects: Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910 -- Exhibitions.; Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925 -- Exhibitions.; Brooklyn Museum of Art -- Exhibitions.; Watercolor painting, American -- 19th century -- Exhibitions.; Watercolor painting -- New York (State) -- New York -- Exhibitions.
Genres: Exhibitions.
Description: In the 1870s and 1880s, artists' societies promoted watercolors as attractive, decorative, inexpensive alternatives to oils, successfully elevating them to the mainstream of American art. Based in New York City, this American watercolor movement paved the way for larger, more seriously received exhibition watercolors, and for a broad turn-of-the-century effort by public institutions - among them the Brooklyn Museum of Art - to acquire American works in the medium.

Highlighting 150 paintings that span nearly two centuries, this richly illustrated volume documents the origin and development of one of the nation's finest collections by investigating for the first time aspects of American watercolor's patronage and critical reception.

Less often displayed than oils because of their sensitivity to light, watercolors nevertheless have enjoyed a lively, complex history. Illuminating well-known works as well as many that have never before been reproduced, Masters of Color and Light showcases an array of paintings that range far beyond watercolor's early reputation as the "lighter and daintier" medium.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.